Saturday, November 20, 2021

Saturday, November 20, 2021 

Tonight's picture was taken on November 19, 2008. Just five days after Mattie major limb salvaging surgery. You have to love his spirit. He was hooked up to all sorts of things from head to toe. His right leg and left arm were in casts and could hardly move. Not to mention he was dealing with pain. But yet look at that smile? Amazing!

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 47,701,868
• Number of people who died from the virus: 771,013

For some reason I thought it was Friday. But of course not, it's Saturday. This is the state I am in! The only reason I realized it was Saturday, was because I got a calendar reminder to pick up a turkey at the supermarket. I pre-ordered it and scheduled it for pick up today. So I got myself in the car while my dad's caregiver was at the house, and went to one of our favorite grocery stores, Gelson's. It is a supermarket like no other. Given that it is Saturday before Thanksgiving, I was prepared for battle. I figured the parking lot and the store was going to be a zoo. To my surprise, it was so so pleasant. The store wasn't packed and it made me wonder.... where are the shoppers? Aren't they cooking Thanksgiving dinner? I have no answers, but was stunned. The beauty of Gelson's is the customer is always right. Everyone is super helpful, professional, and they really go out of their way to make it a unique shopping experience. In addition, their produce and meat departments are stunning! So visually appealing, you want to buy everything. 

While driving to Gelson's I have to pass my high school in North Hollywood. Some how seeing the school made me sad. Not that I loved my high school or my school experience, because I didn't, but what this reminded me was I won't be seeing California again for a long time. I will have no excuse to come here now that my parent's are moving East. So in essence I feel once again that a portion of my life is coming to an end. What defines me are the places I lived and my experiences, and though I will have the memories, I won't have the physical reminders anymore. Seems to be a CONSTANT issue with my life, which I believe is defined by one loss after the other. 

Before I left for California, I bought Peter a turkey. I wanted to make sure he would have one to serve his family, and given the shortages I kept seeing in our supermarket, I was proactive. Tonight, I decided to google information about the shortage, and came across the article below in the Boston Globe. The article's title is,

"What I’m thankful for: The turkey shortage." The title caught my attention because I can NOT relate to it at all. I LOVE turkey and Peter knows one of my favorite meals is turkey with all the fixings. I could eat it year round! If you are a turkey fan, then I recommend reading this article. It will give you a chuckle. I feel for the author, and actually want to invite him to my Thanksgiving table, because he clearly has never experienced the wonders of turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, and all the wonderful sides. I am saddened for him! But really, where on earth is his traditional holiday spirit? He is the turkey scrooge. 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/19/opinion/what-im-thankful-turkey-shortage/